</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by Ron Wood:
<strong> That really isn't the case. It is a well known fact that electronic equipment runs on smoke...and if you let the smoke out, it doesn't work any more.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva"><img border="0" alt="[hiha]" title="" src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" />
After being in the computer industry for 25 years - you have NO IDEA how close to the truth those words are!!! :) Remember Digital Research's GEM? How about the Osborne 2 Computer (not the 1 - which I had)? How about the IBM's Ambra? Or even OS/2 "Warp"..!! LOL!!!!!!!

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by Ron Wood:
<strong>It is a well known fact that electronic equipment runs on smoke...and if you let the smoke out, it doesn't work any more.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Driven a lot of British cars, have you, Ron? This is the perfect description of the Lucas electrical system...

--Dwight

As a recovering Austin Healy owner, I can attest to the fact that the z'act same guy who designed the electrics in my Healys built my computer.

Tom A

I haven't driven a lot of British cars, but I did have a 1970 MGB that was a hoot on the back roads and Autobahn in Germany. Didn't have electrical problems, but the exhaust system rusted out quickly. I couldn't understand that since it was made of gold...at least it seemed so, considering the replacement cost.

I am reminded of a friend of mine with a Healy who says "Lighting by Lucas, Prince of Darkness"

Tom A, years ago we dipped printed circuits in 50/50 ethyl alcohol and water to clean the flux off. You Dell should have been fine when dried off. Unless the puff of grey smoke that IS the electronic spirit had departed.

All,

I am pleased to report that with the unbelievable assistance of Dell customer support, a colleague and I changed out the mother board in my Dell Latitude C640 in something less than an hour and a half.:-)

It is obviously working as I am using it now and I am, quite frankly, amazed.

Appears I also damaged the battery, so will replace that, but what the hey.

And it is the BEST SMELLING lap top in North America, thanks to Jefferson's Reserve. :-)

Tom A

Tom, you shouldn't admit to that, or people will hear how I spilled a glass of Dr Pepper on my new (reconditioned) work laptop, a week after it was repaired... :p

Ed, don't tell me---Dr Pepper and Smirnoff???? Yuucckkk!

No, that was in high school and was strawberry soda and whiskey. That is why I can't drink whiskey to this day :D

Was just straight Dr. Pepper, was a monday morning for work...

You drank Dr. Pepper straight???!!!!

Eeeeewwwwww......... :( <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

Ed Is a Hard Man!

Ed, might want to remove the Dr. Pepper comment just in case your new employers might hear about it. Comments like that as best kept from the public domain. Tom, I'm back in Huntsville, got in late last night (hugged my ugly dog, sent my girlfriend some flowers and hollered through the door to my wife I was back), will be in the shop all day, coffee is on me.

rk

No RK, this is going to be in Colorado, if it was Alabama, they'd fire me for not mixing my drinks, espcially on a Monday morning :D

Ed